Customers who sign Body Shop’s online petition are offered a pass which will sit in the customers Apple or Android mobile wallet. The retailer can then push notifications to the customer’s smartphone to keep them updated on the campaign, which has had over two million signatures so far.

“We’re campaigning into the digital age,” said Russell Longley, senior manager CRM/digital development at Body Shop. “The customer can sign on paper, but we also have the online petition form and now in the format of a digital wallet.

“We can update and communicate on campaign news and put out a call to action to share the pass with other people – the dream for us is for it to go viral.”

Longley said the mobile wallet is a new channel, which has not been used by retail for communications with customers in this way.

“We think we’re unique because we’re a campaign brand and we have the ability to do this type of activism and it’s an exciting time for the Body Shop to reconnect with our activist roots, and be connected in that cherished spot on our customers' mobile devices.”

He added: “It’s a sweet spot and a niche between our mobile first website and a full-blown app,” he said. “It sits somewhere in between where we can have a more targeted conversation on a specific issue.”

Judy Chan, director of product marketing at Urban Airship said a mobile wallet solution doesn’t require customers to download any applications. “The idea is to take advantage of what’s already available to a brand-owned communication channel.”